Military Comics Vol 1 9
** ** ** ** ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * ("Iron Face") Antagonists: * ** General ** Fritz Other Characters: * Dr. Fritz von Rath Locations: * ** Nazi Regional Headquarters, inside an old castle * ** concentration camp * Vehicles: * Blackhawk modified | Writer2_1 = Ted Udall | Penciler2_1 = Bernard Klein | Inker2_1 = Bernard Klein | StoryTitle2 = The Sniper: "The Story of Lord Henry Perkins" | Synopsis2 = Lord Henry Perkins and London's famous Dr. Blokk are both secretly Nazis. Their secret meeting at Dr. Blokk's office is broken up by the Sniper, who enters via a window, shoots a pistol out of Dr. Blokk's hand, then leaves before the police arrive. Perkins and Blokk proceed with their plan which is to use the Perkins family's castle as a wartime orphanage, removing many children from the frequently-bombed city of London. Or so it seems. Actually Perkins telephones the Prime Minister and threatens to blow up the castle, and all the children in it, if he doesn't surrender to Germany that very night. The very suspicious Sniper has broken into the castle and is snooping around, when Dr. Blokk gets behind him and head-konks him with a pistol. Sniper doesn't black out, but he's dumped thru a trap door into a dungeon cell. There he meets Lord Francis Perkins, imprisoned twin brother of Henry. The cell's only entrance is the trap door above them, and it's spring-loaded, Lord Francis hasn't been able to get it open the whole time he's been there. But the Sniper has his rifle with him, and three bullets; he's able to spring the lock with one shot. Dr. Block tries to stop them from climbing out of the trap door, so the Sniper yanks him thru it and drops him on the cell floor, then Lord Henry greets the climbers with a handgun. The Sniper sends a rifle bullet down the barrel of this pistol, disarming Perkins, who isn't beaten yet. He throws a switch, activating the timer on the explosive charges that he's planted all around the castle. The Sniper will have time to either save the children or catch the spy, except Lord Francis is on hand to herd the children to safety, while the Sniper chases Lord Henry. Henry snatches a broadsword out of a wall display and flees to the roof, where the Sniper corners him, fights him, and kills him with one last rifle shot. The children, Lord Francis, and the Sniper all escape just before the mines go off and the castle collapses. | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Antagonists: * * Other Characters: * English Soldier * Miss Blake ** orphans * * Lord Francis Perkins, Henry's twin. Locations: * ** Dr. Blokk's office * Lord Perkins' Castle, many miles from London | Writer3_1 = Bob Powell | Penciler3_1 = Bob Powell | Inker3_1 = Bob Powell | StoryTitle3 = Loops and Banks: "The Russians' Mascot" | Synopsis3 = Capt. Loops McCann and Lieut. Banks Barrows have been sent to the Russian Front, to supervise the assembly of some P-40s, shipped in crates from America. For two weeks they build these fighters, but aren't allowed to fly them. This drives them crazy. They've got, from somewhere, some "Mickey Finns" and some vodka, so they trick two bearded Russian pilots into drinking knockout cocktails, disguise themselves with fake beards, and try to fly along on the Russian squadron's patrol. They're of course caught, and grounded all over again. They find a little girl, Olga, a half-starved war orphan, hiding in the hangar, and bring her to the barracks, where the Russian squadron adopts her as their mascot. She endears herself to them by doing their sewing and laundry. This goes on for several days. An escaped enemy pilot sneaks onto the outpost, grabs little Olga, knocks her out and steals a Russian uniform from her, then bluffs his way onto the airfield and steals a P-40. Olga recovers and runs to tell her pals Uncle Loops and Uncle Banks about it, so they steal two more P-40s, and pursue the escaping German. They catch him, and Loops shoots him down, just before six Heinkel fighters show up. Banks shoots down two of them and Loops gets one. A flight of Russian fighters arrives, one more Heinkel is shot down, and the other two escape. Loops and Banks fly back to the Russian airbase, and rush to the hospital to check on Olga. That's where their American boss confronts them and starts into an energetic disciplinary chewing-out, when little Olga speaks up, and says why they did what they did. This wins over the Colonel, that old softy, and he calms down. | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Capt. Loops McCann, U.S.M.A.C. * Lieut. Banks Barrows, U.S.M.A.C. Supporting Characters: * Colonel, their C.O. Antagonists: * Escaped German Pilot Other Characters: * Russian Airmen: ** Poopski ** Doopski ** Boopski ** Riley ** Igor ** Karol ** Ivan Locations: * Items: * Banks' stash of "Mickey Finns" Vehicles: * Russian Curtiss P-40 fighters * six German Heinkel fighters | Writer4_1 = Vernon Henkel | Penciler4_1 = Vernon Henkel | Inker4_1 = Vernon Henkel | StoryTitle4 = X, of the Underground: "The Berlin Express | Synopsis4 = Bob Gray follows X to Berlin, where X has organized an all-girl team of Underground saboteurs. One of them betrays the others to the Gestapo, for a cash reward. Bob Gray pitches in and helps them fight the Gestapo, and he still wants to join their gang. Two officers, and Brock the traitor, are captured alive. The Underground fighters take two votes: 1/ the prisoners are hanged, and 2/ Bob is not allowed to join. | Appearing4 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Bob Gray, ex-reporter Antagonists: * * Fraulein Brock Other Characters: * X's all-female Underground agents, seven or more Locations: * ** Train Station * ** Imperial Hotel Vehicles: * Berlin Express | Writer5_1 = Klaus Nordling | Penciler5_1 = Klaus Nordling | Inker5_1 = Klaus Nordling | Colourist5_1 = | Letterer5_1 = | StoryTitle5 = Shot and Shell: "Bunglers in Baghdad" | Synopsis5 = | Appearing5 = Featured Characters: * Col Sam Shot * Slim Shell Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * veiled dancer * obese European man ** his gang Other Characters: * old soothsayer Locations: * ** Baghdad *** Aladdin Inn | Writer6_1 = | Penciler6_1 = Fred Kida | Inker6_1 = Fred Kida | StoryTitle6 = Phantom Clipper: "Introducing the Phantom Clipper" | Synopsis6 = Captain Perkins sails the Phantom Clipper in to Norfolk, Virginia, to donate the big sailing ship to the U.S. Navy. Concealed inside its hull are some supercharged engines, a layer of armor plate, two 8-inch guns, six torpedo tubes, and a scouting seaplane. Elsewhere at these same piers, a gang of saboteurs steals a destroyer, and escapes out to sea. The Phantom Clipper, and its newly reorganized crew the Yankee Clippers, give chase. They capture the ship and the saboteurs alive. | Appearing6 = Featured Characters: * Yankee Clippers: ** Captain Seth Perkins (has a peg leg) ** Hook, First Mate (has a hook) ** Erik, Engineer ** Sea Biscuit, Bosun ** Lieutenant "Tiger" Shark, USN Antagonists: * ** his crew: Karl, others Other Characters: * Admiral Locations: * , Vehicles: * * U.S. Destroyer | Writer7_1 = Dave Berg | Penciler7_1 = Dave Berg | Inker7_1 = Dave Berg | StoryTitle7 = Death Patrol: "The Rescue of Del Van Dyne" | Synopsis7 = The Death Patrol invade a prison camp in Naziland and rescue Del Van Dyne, who isn't dead after all. In the process, Hank is apparently killed by machinegun fire. | Appearing7 = Featured Characters: * ** ** Chief Chuckalug ** Hank ** King Hotintot ** Boris ** Frere Jacques (formerly The Patchwork Kid) ** Mademoiselle From Armentieres ** The Goucho Antagonists: * (wears a monocle) ** many German Soldiers Locations: * Prison Camp Hospital in Items: * Hotintot's Spear * Hank's Lasso * Jacques's Slingshot * Chuckalug's Bow and Arrows * Goucho's Bolas Vehicles: * Death Patrol's unique customized warplanes | Writer8_1 = Fred Guardineer | Penciler8_1 = Fred Guardineer | Inker8_1 = Fred Guardineer | Letterer8_1 = Fred Guardineer | StoryTitle8 = Blue Tracer: "The Yellow Butcher of Koko Nor" | Synopsis8 = Japanese soldiers have captured and fortified the Chinese walled city of Koko Nor. When the Blue Tracer swoops in and smashes their fortifications, the Japanese commander orders the execution of one hundred civilians, in reprisal. This has to stop; Wild Bill Dunn has a meeting with the Chinese General about recapturing the town. That night a large body of Chinese soldiers, flanked by the Blue Tracer, creeps up to the walls of Koko Nor. A signal is given and the mighty juggernaut surges forward and smashes thru the city's wall. A Chinese horde swarms thru the opening, and a city-wide battle ensues; Dunn and his partner Boomerang Jones pile out of the Blue Tracer and join in the street-to-street fighting. Dunn soon learns that the commander, General Muki Zu, has holed up in the city's "Dragon Tower," and he races there on foot. Atop the tower, Gen. Zu is manning a machine gun and inflicting casualties, until Wild Bill races out onto the fortified rooftop and there's a pistol-versus-machine-gun shoot out. That's not going very well for Dunn, but meanwhile Boomerang Jones has scaled an adjacent building, and hits the Japanese officer on the back of the neck with a thrown boomerang. Bill dashes forward and punches out the general. Koko Nor is recaptured. | Appearing8 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Boomerang Jones Antagonists: * ** his Infantry Unit Other Characters: * 100 Chinese Civilians * Chinese General ** Chinese Infantry Locations: * Koko Nor, ** Dragon Tower * undisclosed meeting place in China Vehicles: * | Writer9_1 = Nathaniel Nitkin | Penciler9_1 = Al McWilliams | Inker9_1 = Al McWilliams | StoryTitle9 = Secret War News: "Secret Passage To China Front" | Synopsis9 = Nat Nitkin's old friend Bill had a tough job conveying American-built bombers to China by cargo ship. With great difficulty he reached Likiang Airbase in China, with a shipload of unassembled Martin Bombers. He got the bombers assembled, recruited and trained crews for them, and prepared to take on the Japanese Air Force. The new squadron's first mission was a leaflet-dropping raid on Shanghai, with a bombing run on a battleship on the return leg of the trip. The squadron took losses at every step of this mission, and none of the bombers survived it. | Appearing9 = Narrator: * Nat Nitkin Supporting Characters: * Bill, Major in the Chinese Air Force * Captain Wang, Cargo Ship Skipper * Chen, Burma Road Truck Driver * Colonel Wong, Chinese Air Force * Wu-Ching, Bomber Pilot * Chang, Bomber Pilot * Lung, Bomber Navigator Antagonists: * Locations: * , * , * , * Airbase, * , * Bako Naval Base, , Items: * New Martin Bombers, assembly required Vehicles: * Chinese * Freight Steamship * Japanese Destroyer (Atago Class) * USN PBY Flying Boat * Mitsubishi 2-engine bombers * RAF Curtiss Hawks * Karigani Pursuit Planes * Japanese Battleship (Matsui Class) | Writer10_1 = Al McWilliams | Penciler10_1 = Al McWilliams | Inker10_1 = Al McWilliams | StoryTitle10 = Atlantic Patrol: "U.S.S. Kearney" | Synopsis10 = Night, 16-17 Oct 1941: A US destroyer on convoy duty encounters a U-boat, and is damaged by a torpedo hit, but stays afloat and returns to port in Iceland. | Appearing10 = Vehicles: * , DD-432 | Notes = * Blackhawk: The Man In The Iron Mask is reprinted in . ** Andre appeared to die in . He caught some serious bullet wounds and jumped down the side of a mountain, to start a landslide. He makes his return in this issue. ** While he's wearing the Iron Mask, Andre speaks normally, without the Maurice Chevalier accent. No wonder nobody recognizes him. ** General von Ezel's grudge against Blackhawk goes back to , in which von Ezel lost ten thousand men. ** The proper Grumman XF5F Skyrockets will be back in . This issue continues the use of the single-rudder modified version. * Blue Tracer: General Muki Zu, the infamous "Yellow Butcher of Koko Nor", is missing one eye, and doesn't even wear a patch over the empty socket. He is captured alive at the end of this story. * In Death Patrol, The Goucho, spelled that way, has joined the team some time between stories. Hank the Rustler is killed with a whole lot of machinegun fire. The previously apparently dead Del Van Dyne rejoins the team. * Loops and Banks: ** The Russian P-40 Warhawk fighters are painted bright red, and emblazoned with white stars. The German Heinkel fighters are painted in green camouflage tones, with what look like correct markings. ** Lieutenant Barrows has got a supply of "Mickey Finns", which can't possibly be legal. * First issue for Phantom Clipper by Fred Kida. This series runs until . ** The Phantom Clipper is a 3-masted, square-rigged clipper ship, only with advanced concealed supercharged engines, armor plate, two 8-inch guns, six deck-mounted torpedo tubes, a fog generator, and a seaplane. * Secret War News: "This is an actual story based upon inside facts gathered from the British Information Bureaus." * The Sniper breaks the Fourth Wall, at the bottom of the first page and the top of the second, to narrate his own story, then again at the ending panel, where he explains why he let Lord Perkins live so long. * X, of the Underground: Bob Gray is now captioned as an "ex-reporter"; last issue he was with the New York Globe. * Also featured in this issue of Military Comics were: ** "7:55 Dec.7" (text story) ** Inferior Man: "Jap Spies Everywhere--Beware!" by Al Jaffee | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = }}